Ayaka Itsuka
'Empress Ayaka Itsuka '''is the current Tsaesci Empress. She is the undisputed most powerful Elementalism user among all the living Tsaesci, despite not being born into the Guardian Clans. This makes her one of the most powerful living Spirit Pressure users. Ayaka is the wife of the Tsaesci Emperor Ryunnosuke Itsuka and the mother of the Princesses Kurumi, Kasumi and Mayuri Itsuka, along with the Princes Terumi and Tetsuya Itsuka. Biography Early Life Ayaka was originally born into the Kirasaka family and hence her original name was Ayaka Kirasaka. Her family was a military family that produced many mid ranking to high ranking officers. Ayaka never aspired to joining the Tsaesci military when she was young, but her parents' expectations was for her to train herself into a top tier Spirit Pressure user so she could bring glory to the family. Ayaka was accorded education, but her family's demands meant that she was not well educated in most subjects that had nothing to do with warfare and combat. Ayaka herself was an intelligent girl, and she went to the local library to self study all sorts of subjects when she was free and did not need to practice her use of weaponry or Spirit Pressure. Having figured out that if she was stronger, her parents would bother her less, Ayaka sacrificed the rest of her free time into mastering Spirit Pressure. This rendered her a shy and withdrawn girl since she didn't go out in society much. However, as Ayaka was of high intelligence and had a great affinity for magical powers, her ability to use Spirit Pressure increased very fast and she grew very powerful quickly. She spent her increasing free time on reading and studying all under the sun. Ayaka's first meeting with Ryunnosuke Itsuka was actually a rather hostile one, when she was fifteen. The then thirteen year old third prince has taken a tour around the capital and he just so happened to stop at the house that Ayaka lived in for a rest with his guards. Ayaka refused to kneel or bow to Ryunnosuke , as was the custom, which angered the young prince and caused him to summon his Spirit Sword against Ayaka after his repeated attempts to get her to pay him the due respects was defied. As Ryunnosuke had not practiced Spirit Pressure to the same high level he gained later, Ayaka managed to summon her own blade and placed it at the Prince's neck in one move, too fast for him to respond. Ryunnosuke left the compound after declaring that one day, he would make Ayaka kneel in front of him and that he would never lose to her ever again. This actually caused a lot of fear in the future Empress because she knew that Ryunnosuke's birth in the Itsuka clan meant his use of Spirit Pressure would advance at a much greater rate than hers if they put in equal effort and she was sure he would return to punish her. Ayaka started on learning flame elementalism and stopped studying things not related to self cultivation, spending all her time on Spirit Pressure cultivation so she could keep that future away. Becoming the Crown Princess As Ayaka was well educated, she was commanded by her parents to take part in the selection as one of the potential brides to the second Tsaesci Prince (Ryunnosuke's older brother) when she was twenty one, involving both examinations and contests of Spirit Pressure mastery. Ayaka dutifully carried out her parents' wishes, where she met the now nineteen year old Ryunnosuke Itsuka. As they both matured in appearance, neither of them recognised each other at first sight. The third prince was captivated by Ayaka's beauty and graceful moves, having realized that she was the girl who defeated him, but also spurred him into becoming the greatest among his brothers. Ayaka was defeated in the semifinals of the Spirit Pressure competition. Ayaka fought a Guardian Clan member and was weakened by her opponent's poisoned weapon, greatly reducing her Spirit Pressure's strength as she had to constantly hold the poison at bay. Her opponent was strongly opposed to the non Guardian Clans marrying into the royalty, causing her to attempt to kill Ayaka even after Ayaka admitted defeat. Ryunnosuke interfered even though he was not meant to, using his massively increased Spirit Pressure to disarm Ayaka's opponent as he flash stepped into the arena. Ayaka prostrated herself before Ryunnosuke out of her newfound respect for him, since he had saved her from a certain death. She was employed initially by Ryunnosuke as simply a maid for him, but the true purpose was because Ryunnosuke wanted to personally train with her as he saw her potential in Spirit Pressure. Ryunnosuke took Ayaka to meet the master who taught him Spirit Pressure and the two began to train together. Under Ryunnosuke's master, Ayaka reached her full potential in the use of Spirit Pressure. She was also taught the art of governance and warfare. Ryunnosuke's master told Ayaka that she was to compete during the selection process for Ryunnosuke's bride, for she had the highest potential in being a good Empress, since it was obvious by now that Ryunnosuke would definitely inherit the throne from his father. As Ayaka herself had spent a lot of time with Ryunnosuke and had already wished to marry him, she agreed to taking part in the selection, declaring that she would win and no other would have the entitlement to be Empress. Ayaka defeated all the other contestants upon the competition, for she had already become a Spirit Pressure user that surpassed all the other contestants by a massive gap. She became the third princess of the Tsaesci through marriage despite the opposition of almost all the Guardian Clans that couldn't accept a commoner like her as their future Empress. The Itsuka clan welcomed her with open arms as the future Empress, with Ayaka's marriage to Ryunnosuke allowing the then Emperor to do what he always wanted, which was to appoint Ryunnosuke as the crown prince and pass the throne to him. Ayaka and Ryunnosuke were the youngest couple who had the rights to ascend the throne when they got married. Yet, they were the first to produce a child, the princess Kurumi Itsuka, which was welcome news to the then Emperor and Empress. The Emperor managed to see his plan come to fruition and immediately designated the one he wanted on the throne as the crown prince. Ryunnosuke was thus poised to inherit the throne, while Ayaka became the crown princess, much to the displeasure of all the Guardian clans. Ryunnosuke focused on military strategy and measures to hold the advance of the Ka Po Tun forces back as they attempted to find a way to defeat the Ka Po Tun Tosh Raka Emperor Li Xuanwen, since he had already defeated many Tsaesci generals. Ayaka supported him and helped him think, yet she herself didn't figure anything out. Eventually, Ryunnosuke had a strategy that worked and this managed to hold the Ka Po Tun at bay, which gave Ryunnosuke and Ayaka enough time to prepare themselves. Ayaka trained in the use of her powers further with Ryunnosuke and pushed each other to the absolute limit. It was during these times which the older prince, Terumi Itsuka was born. While his birth did set Ayaka back in terms of training, it cemented Ryunnosuke and Ayaka's eventual ascension to the Tsaesci throne as Ryunnosuke now had a valid heir. After repeated testing, Ryunnosuke and Ayaka figured out a method to defeat Li Xuanwen himself in combat, knowing the Ka Po Tun forces would fall if their Emperor fell. After making sure their preparations were all complete, Ryunnosuke and Ayaka themselves set off for the frontlines soon after the birth of their third child, the princess Kasumi Itsuka. They fought directly against Li Xuanwen on the frontlines and grievously wounded him, crushing the Ka Po Tun morale. This allowed their follow up forces to rout the Ka Po Tun forces and hence they reclaimed all the formerly Tsaesci territories after the Ka Po Tun retreated in defeat. Ryunnosuke and Ayaka, along with all the military forces of the Tsaesci were honoured as war heroes upon their return. After the celebrations of victory, Ryunnosuke's father officially abdicated the throne to his son. Hence, Ayaka became the Empress of the Tsaesci as she ascended the throne beside Ryunnosuke, who became Emperor. Personality Ayaka is a strict mother who enforces quite a rigid schedule on her children, although she rarely if ever threatens them with direct physical violence. Her punishments all consist of exercises meant to force her children's spirit pressure use to improve, since Ayaka does not believe in wasting time or hitting her children. She often checks on her children and cares little for politics, so she mostly misses audience sessions with the ministers that she is supposed to attend. Outside of her own family, Ayaka is mostly a cold and aloof person, disliking most people in general and preferring not to interact with any of them. She considers most people as a waste of space and time, generally making her unfriendly and unlikable. However, this is concealed behind a facade of good manners and etiquette maintained in front of non family, which makes her appear proud and arrogant in front of others. In contrast to her exterior personality, Ayaka is actually exceedingly kind and forgiving to her own children despite her strict regime for them. She personally sees to most of their needs, willingly cutting things out of her schedule when it is is required to make more time for parent-child interactions. Ayaka is willing to personally teach her children any subject or train them in various mystical arts if they just ask. Ayaka does not hesitate in punishing or killing non family members who have created trouble for the Emperor or her family. She has no consideration for politics and does not hesitate to kill anyone, even those shielded by many political ties, so long as they wronged her family or created trouble for the Tsaesci nation. Ayaka does not fear reprisal, for no assassin would have the courage to make an attempt on her life since such a move is tantamount to suicide. Ayaka's attitude towards her role in the family is quite traditional, believing that she is suited to managing the household, so she does not interfere with anything Emperor Ryunnosuke decides in court. She rarely turns up, and even if she does, she will not give any opinions about how things are being done. Ayaka does manage everything within her household, though, and can be controlling about the arrangement of items and schedules. Ayaka lives as an exemplar for her people and she tries her best to make them both fear and admire her. She only has two maids, whose roles are only to help her carry heavy things, wash the clothes of her family and support her dress if she is wearing her Empress Regalia. Ayaka personally does all the chores in her family besides washing the clothing, including the cooking and cleaning. Appearance Ayaka mostly resembles her three daughters, except that she has black irises as she is not a descendant of Nozomi Itsuka. Ayaka has long, lustrous black hair that would reach her waist if not styled and allowed to flow freely. She has the pale skin typical of the Tsaesci and in her case, it is smooth and unblemished. Ayaka has eyes that do not have any direction of tilt, which are rather large and she has double eyelids. Her eyebrows are gently arched and lower on their inner edges as compared to the outer edges. She has an oval shaped face, with a sharp chin and slim cheeks. Ayaka's cheekbones are not prominent, again a Tsaesci trait. Ayaka stands at around 5'5 (165cm) and she has a full, voluptuous figure, although she retains a comparatively narrow waist after having 5 children. As she is a Tsaesci, Ayaka has narrower shoulders than most Tamrielic women and she does not have a large muscle mass, although she is more well built than her three daughters. Despite her age exceeding 50 years old, given that her oldest child (Princess Kurumi Itsuka) is almost thirty years old, Ayaka still appears no older than her mid twenties, as she is a powerful Spirit Pressure practitioner that has managed to slow her aging to a near halt. She is a famed beauty in Akavir, much like her three daughters. Powers and Abilities Ayaka is without doubt the most skilled user of Elementalism among the Tsaesci that is currently alive. She is particularly well versed in the Lightning Transformation, able to use even the strongest abilities repeatedly or in rapid succession. Ayaka is also skilled in using flames to fight. Ayaka's Spirit Pressure usage and capacity is so high, she is able to simply vent Spirit Pressure from her body and use it to dominate the surrounding magic, making it difficult for others to form magical attacks. Weaker Spirit Pressure users are outright sealed from their use of Spirit Pressure. Ayaka is a Spirit Pressure practitioner who is already within the ''Transcending the Mundane realm. She has the ability to use not just her Spirit Sword, but also use a Spirit Realm. This ability allows her to overrule the magic and reality in her immediate surroundings, giving her incredible combat ability when the Spirit Realm is deployed. It is known that Ayaka is also very proficient in unarmed combat and swordplay, to the extent that even armed opponents would fear her if she was unarmed. Equipment Ayaka originally used an Akaviri steel Katana and Wakazashi pair that she assiduously maintained, since she was born into a high ranking noble clan that was not part of the Guardian Clans. She switched over to the typical Guardian Clan sword after she became the Crown Princess and later Empress. Ayaka's current sword will not blunt or break, so it needs no maintainence on her part. Ayaka is frequently seen wearing a simple floral pattered grey kimono like robe, the flowers being white paeonies. She uses this as her casual wear, along with a distinct lack of jewellery, with the only symbol of her authority being the sword that she wears on her belt. Ayaka does not style her long hair in such dress. Most would assume she is a common Tsaesci Spirit Pressure user who married into a Guardian Clan if she is seen in public. This is because she finds the Empress Regalia too constricting and troublesome to wear. Ayaka also has a multi piece dress that is black with a white and silver floral pattern down onto it, with golden brocade patterns. The dress has a train that is a few meters long. This is her Empress Regalia, and is matched with multiple golden hairpins worn in intricately styled hair. Ayaka also wears a gold, jewelled pendant and multiple rings when wearing this, all as symbols of her authority as the Empress. It is known that this article of clothing is disliked by Ayaka for being restrictive and bulky, so she only wears it for official ceremonies. Trivia *It is known that Empress Ayaka is actually older than Emperor Ryunnosuke by two years. Their age gap is certainly not large, though. *As Ayaka's personality is strong willed and she has extreme power, both physically and politically, the various civil and military officials are actually glad that she does not attend the daily administrative discussions. They dread it whenever she appears. *Ayaka personally hates makeup and thinks it makes her look old, but her natural, perpetually youthful beauty is more than enough to render it mostly unnecessary. Category:Echoes of the Orient Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Royalty Category:Tsaesci Category:Spirit Pressure User Category:Emperors